May It Please The Court: Weblog of legal news and observations, including a quote of the day and daily updates

The Class Action Fairness Act became law in the U.S. in February of 2005.   Has CAFA been a real benefit to the justice system across the country?  Coast to Coast examines that issue with my co-host, Bob Ambrogi, and takes an in-depth look at the reform statute with our guests Howard Bashman, Shannon Duffy and Richard Cohen.

Attorney Howard Bashman is a columnist for Law.com and the Legal Intelligencer of ALM Media.   He is a nationally-recognized appellate attorney and appears regularly before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and Pennsylvania’s state appellate courts.   He also writes the well-known and popular blog, How Appealing. 

We also have as a guest Legal Reporter Shannon Duffy, who writes for other ALM Media publications.   Mr. Duffy has reported and covered the federal courts in Philadelphia for over 17 years.  His articles regularly appear in Philadelphia's daily legal journal, the Legal Intelligencer, as well as the New Jersey Law Journal and on Law.com.  Mr. Duffy graduated magna cum laude from Temple University in 1989 with a degree in journalism.  While in college, Mr. Duffy worked in Temple University's law school as a reader for a blind law student.

Our other guest is Attorney Richard W. Cohen of Lowey Dannenberg Bemporad and Selinger, P.C. who has first-hand experience in an ongoing class action case affected by CAFA.  Attorney Cohen is a litigator  with 25 years of experience and is currently representing Aetna in its defense of a class action lawsuit on behalf of retail pharmacies claiming contractual underpayments lawsuit.

You'll get the details of CAFA's first year from every side of the issue on this edition.  Give a listen!